Ranking the NFL Starting Quarterbacks
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
There have been several standout seasons by rookie quarterbacks over the years. But possibly no quarterback has looked more mature and in control during his first NFL season than C.J. Stroud did last year.
Yes, the physical side of his game is impressive. For instance, his accuracy on throws at the intermediate level and his ability to make any type of throw are already among the best in the game:
He can consistently make anticipation throws as well. Just look where Stroud’s receiver was as he was releasing the ball here:
But it’s his awareness, his ability to quickly process and recognize what the defense is doing, and his overall football IQ that appear to be off the charts. And that was clear for all to see early last season.
In Week 5, the Texans trailed the Falcons 18-12 with 1:54 remaining and faced a 3rd-and-9 from Atlanta’s 18-yard line. You can hear Stroud talk about this play here. He had spotted something in his film study about safety Jessie Bates in another “big-time 3rd-down situation” when the Falcons were playing some kind of quarters coverage:
“I knew that he [Bates] was gonna try to make the play of the game and try to take it away.”
So in anticipation of this situation, Stroud apparently drew up a route on the fly for tight end Dalton Schultz that would get Bates to bite.
“I told Dalton to do a certain thing in his route that I thought would get us not only the first down but a touchdown. […]I’m literally trying to break down exactly what I want from him in the huddle.”
Below, you can see the play.
The Texans aligned in a trips bunch to the right with Schultz at the front of the bunch. Notice that the Falcons were showing a quarters “lock” coverage look with Jessie Bates aligned to Schultz’s side:
The action that Stroud anticipated based on a similar situation was that Bates would try to jump the #2 vertical if it broke inside. So how did Stroud counter?
He had Schultz bend his route inside to get Bates to bite before turning upfield:
It worked just as Stroud anticipated:
For a quarterback to have the poise to recall plays from the opponent based on film study and draw up a route “in the dirt" with the game on the line in just his 5th career start is impressive to say the least. The Texans unfortunately lost on a last-second field goal, but Stroud passed a big test with his late-game heroics.
Another defining trait of Stroud’s that was on display all season was his ability to consistently stand tall and firm in the pocket and deliver accurate downfield passes knowing he was about to take a big hit:
Possibly the best example of this came on Houston’s game-winning drive against the Colts in Week 18 with the season on the line.
This was 2nd-and-13 from the Colts’ 30-yard line with the score tied and just under 7 minutes remaining. Indy started in a 2-safety shell and rotated to single-high. This time, they were bringing 5 and playing 3-under 3-deep behind it:
From the end zone angle, you can see that Stroud felt the rush coming from his right and began to step up immediately:
But the Colts were running a T-T stunt that would leave Tyquan Lewis (#94) coming in clean up the middle:
Stroud saw it at the last second, immediately stopped climbing in the pocket, and stood up tall to deliver this throw, knowing he was about to get smoked:
That’s an absolutely perfect ball, isn’t it? Hit his receiver in stride. Might as well have been 7-on-7.
Here’s the view from the sideline:
Stroud didn’t have time to think on that play. Instead, he had to make a split-second decision to pull the trigger with a large defender in his face. He was able to make the right one even despite the defense’s post-snap movement. That’s proof of his great processing, coverage recognition, and vision. Houston scored a touchdown two plays later and would go on to clinch a playoff berth.
A year ago, there wasn’t a soul out there who thought the Texans would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender entering the 2024 season. That’s the instant impact Stroud has had on this franchise. Expectations are sky high now.
Stroud’s performance during his rookie year was certainly aided by Bobby Slowik’s offensive scheme and some pretty talented (albeit lesser-known) pass catchers. But it was Stroud’s traits that were most responsible for a consistently high level of play regardless of the situation or the opponent.
I’m excited to see how he grows in year 2.
Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)